The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Tuesday said the Caribbean region has lost a “true stalwart and environmental sustainability champion” as it paid tribute to Yves Renard, who died earlier this month.
OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules, described Renard “as an environmental visionary and pioneer whose commitment to community and people was unmatched.
“Yves’s genius lay in his use of science to create solutions that were sustainable yet provided economic value (such as) growing of Leucaena plant for multiple communal uses, charcoal, animal fodder, skin products etc.”
Jules said his passion for people ensured that every initiative was about the cultivation of community. “His resourcefulness planted the seed of many community and environmental initiatives that have blossomed – many years later – into lucrative sources of income for SIDS,” he added.
The OECS said Renard first came to public attention in the Eastern Caribbean in the early 1980s when he spearheaded the St. Lucia-based Eastern Caribbean Natural Area Management Programme (ECNAMP), working with government agencies, community interests and resource users to promote the then-novel concepts of community-based management and co-management.
“The work in which he engaged, especially along the southeast of St. Lucia ranged from helping to introduce the now well-established sea moss cultivation to assisting charcoal producers to harvest wood from the mangrove forest in a sustainable manner.”
The Commission said Renard was also involved in the World Heritage Site Inscription process for the St. Lucia Pitons and provided advice to the OECS for a proposed World Heritage Sites and Conserved Areas Network.
In 1989, ECNAMP transitioned to the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), a non-profit in St. Lucia and the United States Virgin Islands and with a focus on “research, policy influence, advocacy, and capacity building towards sustainable livelihoods and participatory decision making and management of the region’s natural resources”.
Yves served as the organization’s executive director from 1992-2001. Since its establishment, CANARI, now headquartered in Trinidad has extended its reach to cover the entire Caribbean.
The OECS said Renard served the region in many capacities, including as president of the Caribbean Conservation Association and being the Caribbean representative on the IUCN Council, which is IUCN’s principal governing body in between sessions of the World Conservation Congress.
“Yves Renard was truly a man of many talents, with a uniquely analytical thought process. Yet, he never displayed any air of arrogance and was always able to laugh at himself. Indeed, his easy-going nature made working with him easy and no doubt contributed to his ability to make such a huge impact. His passing on January 20, 2023, leaves a void in the hearts of many but his legacy will endure,” the OECS Commission added.
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 Tuesday said the Caribbean region has lost a “true stalwart and environmental){kind=link}